Hope I didn't hold anybody up, but things have been a little hectic at my house. At 2:30 Sunday morning, I lost the man who introduced me to Tigers baseball as a child. My dad was such a beautiful connection to the past of Tigers baseball, always sharing stories with me about his favorite players. He was a huge fan of guys like Mickey Stanley, who could play so many different positions, so I thought about taking Don Kelly with my choice this year - but I've decided to go in a different direction. My parents were separated when I was 2, so I only saw my dad on weekends. Still, every Saturday he'd be there like clockwork, & we'd spend summers playing catch and listening to Ernie Harwell & Paul Carey do the broadcasts. It was this time together that gave me a love not only for baseball, but for radio - which I have made my profession for more than half my life. So with my pick in the 2013 AAT Draft, I select:

I will take Ramon Santiago with my pick. He had a rough year last year, and people are ready to throw him overboard, but he has contributed wonderfully as a part-timer for quite a few years, and I'm confident that if he's given the chance, he'll turn his numbers around this year.

I will take Ramon Santiago with my pick. He had a rough year last year, and people are ready to throw him overboard, but he has contributed wonderfully as a part-timer for quite a few years, and I'm confident that if he's given the chance, he'll turn his numbers around this year.

In honor of his staying with a team through the offseason, I am proud to adopt the alum of not 1, not 2, not 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, nor 11, but 12 major league teams. Hopefully his 13th brings him one more ring.

Yoop i would like to offer my Tiger to share or have to Hutch for his Dad

Originally Posted by DaYooperASBDT

Bos, that's a very generous offer. I see he did make a pick, if you want send him a PM. If he's interested we'll take it from there. :-)

I responded to Bos in a pm, but I'll just go on the record publicly and say "Thanks" for the offer, but I'm satisfied with my selection of Dan Dickerson. It is special tribute to the medium (radio) that played such a large role in my relationship with my dad. Thanks to all of you for the kind words and notes I've gotten. It has helped cushion the blow.

2015 AAT:Steven MoyaAll-Time AAT:Charlie Maxwell
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball & saving an infant’s life, she'll choose to save the infant without even considering if there are men on base. ~ Dave Barry

PlantCityTigersFan1 follows recent history, attempting to take a player who will play at Lakeland this year. Last years choice of Brandon Loy did not work out to well as he spent the entire season in West Michigan. I select Aaron Westlake.

Aaron will be 24 years of age when the season starts. He is 604 and weighs 238 pounds. He was the Tigers 3rd round choice in the 2011 draft from Vanderbilt. He missed a season at Vanderbilt because of a blood clot issue and did not sign after being drafted as a red shirt sophomore by the Toronto Blue Jays. His junior season he batted .344 with 18 home runs. Last season at West Michigan he batted 249 with a 333 Avg vs LHP and 219 vs RHP even though he bats lefthanded. He had 35 doubles and 9 home runs.

"While pitching in the Tampa Bay Rays organization in 2009, Downs was hit in the head by a line drive. After he was taken to the hospital, doctors doubted whether Downs would live. He had to regain the ability to speak, and also had difficulty with post-concussion syndrome."

I did not know that!

"On August 5, 2012, Downs got his first win in his Major League career as the Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians 10–8 in 10 innings."

I choose Dixon Machado. I figure he is alot like me, doesn't handle the bat overly well, but is very defensive. Alot like me actually. I am the Dixon Machado of MTS. I don't add alot to the conversations but I get really "defensive" when I need to.

Background:The Detroit Tigers signed Dixon Machado as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in July of 2008.Machado made his Tigers debut in the Venezulean Summer League in 2009. His defensive skill-set earned race reviews but his bat was less-than stellar. Machado posted a .205 batting average over 234 at-bats. He drew 32 walks and stole an impressive 27 bases as a 17-year-old that summer though.

The Tigers brought Machado stateside the following season where he split time between the GCL Tigers and short-season Connecticut Tigers. As an 18-year-old, Machado posted a combined .265 average over 189 at-bats.Last season Machado was faced with a very aggressive assignment in Class-A West Michigan. As expected his bat struggled, producing a feeble .235 average with just 3 extra-base hits. Despite posting a pedestrian .314 on-base percentage, Machado was able to steal 25 of 30 bases though.

Why He’s This High:Scouts continue to rave about Machado’s glove. His excellent range, above-average arm strength, solid footwork and good hands project possible Gold Glove defense. Machado also features plus speed and solid base running instincts that could easily project him as a 20-30 steals per season guy.

Why He’s This Low:Unfortunately he fits the mold of several other “glove only” Tigers shortstop prospects. He’s still very young so his window to add size and get on base at a higher clip is still pretty large. Essentially his future will continue to be dictated by the progress of his bat. Any development in his bat at all would easily make him a top ten prospect. I see Machado taking a one stop at a time promotional pattern similar to fellow prospect Gustavo Nunez to help iron things out

2015 Adopt A Tiger: DEAN GREEN
These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... Morons.VT

Distribution of wealth is not in any way democratic. It is, in fact, tyrannical, in that a very select few own almost all of it, while most have little to no access. To have a country that prioritizes wealth over individual rights is the antithesis of democracy.

I fell in love with John Lindsey 2 or 3 years ago when he was one of the subjects of an article, probably in SI, about some career minor leaguers. So I was thrilled when the Tigers signed him last year as a Triple A bat. His performance in Toledo merited a September 1 callup to take Delmon's AB's, but I knew that it wouldn't happen.

This year is number 19 in pro ball - incredible. He's played Indy ball, he's played in Mexico, and he keeps on going because he has a family that loves him and supports him. He played rookie ball in the Rockies' system in 1995. He'll be 36 in another 5 days, and he didn't play Triple A until he was 30. He did make it to The Show in 2010, after that ESPN article was written, with the Dodgers and got to the plate for 12 AB's. And thank goodness, he got a base hit.

C'mon John, keep it going. Get off to a hot start, and you never know what will happen.